A wedding ceremony is a special day for everyone involved. The bride and groom get to celebrate starting their lives together and parents get to send their children into a new life adventure.
But when it comes to planning your wedding, there are many traditions you might want to consider adding to your special day.
1. The Engagement Ring
The engagement ring is a long-time tradition that goes as far back as 1477, when Archduke Maximillian of Austria gave a ring to his beloved Mary of Burgandy.
Whether you want something simple or an elaborate 4-carat diamond engagement ring, a ring is a timeless symbol of love and commitment that most people traditionally want at the start of their marriage journey.
2. Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue
This Old English rhyme has been around for years. Each item listed is meant to bring good luck to the bride as she enters into marriage and represents something different.
- Something old represents the couple’s past lives.
- Something new represents a beautiful future together.
- Something borrowed is meant to come from someone who has been in a long-term successful marriage so that their “good fortune rubs off.”
- Something blue is an item of this color which represents love and fidelity.
While this tradition has fizzled out over the years, it does have some great sentiments you might want to have at your wedding.
3. Bridal Showers
Bridal showers usually take place when the woman getting married spends time with her close friends and family members. She’s then showered with love and even some gifts to celebrate the engagement.
However, times have changed. Bridal showers have turned into engagement parties for both the bride and groom. Also, some people don’t have a large community and choose to opt out of this tradition.
4. Carrying A Bouquet
When Queen Victoria carried a bouquet of snowdrops down the aisle in 1840, the idea of bridal bouquets changed completely.
It started back in ancient Greece when brides would carry various herbs on their wedding day. Garlic and dill were thought to deter evil spirits from entering the marriage.
But now, brides curate their bouquets to have whatever types of flowers they want. It’s also a fun activity to toss the bouquet at the reception. Whoever catches it supposedly will be the next to get married. But if floral arrangements aren’t your thing, skip them!
5. Mailing Out Invitations
Let’s face it: Mailing out invitations is slowly becoming a thing of the past. Wedding websites are taking over as an alternative to traditional paper invites. But it’s for a good reason. It saves the couple money (anywhere from $400 to $1,000), time, and it’s significantly more eco-friendly.
Wedding websites allow guests to RSVP, purchase something from your registry, and even select what type of food they want to have at the reception.
But then again, who doesn’t love receiving mail?
6. Giving The Bride Away
Back when there were more arranged marriages, fathers would give their daughters away to start a new life with their husbands. Thankfully, this tradition has changed completely.
Not everyone wants to feel like they’re something to be “handed off.” Some people don’t have parents that can be a part of the tradition. It’s all about beliefs and preferences as to whether or not you want to include this in your wedding ceremony.
7. Wedding Cake
In ancient Rome, wedding guests would break bread over the bride. They believed it would promote fertility. The couple would feed the bread to each other and the guests would pick up the crumbs, sprinkling them over the bride.
Over time, this turned into pastries which eventually evolved into a cake. But that doesn’t mean you have to have one. Desert options for weddings have continued to evolve over the years. Some people choose to have dessert trays or cupcake towers.
Conclusion
Wedding traditions date as far back as the early 1400s. That doesn’t mean all traditions need to stick around or remain the same, though. Your wedding day is all about what you and your partner want your special day to look like.
Think about the traditions that you want to have for cultural or spiritual reasons. And don’t be afraid to ditch any wedding traditions that don’t fit your lifestyle.